Background

We provide life-changing education to empower girls, end harmful traditional practices, and uplift rural communities in Kenya. We believe that every girl, no matter where she is born, deserves a chance to dream and achieve her full potential. When a girl is empowered to learn, grow, and lead, the future is bright. This is Kakenya’s Dream.

Job Summary

The Grants and Compliance Officer is responsible for coordinating and managing the full grant lifecycle from proposal development and award through implementation, compliance, reporting, financial monitoring, and close-out to ensure the successful delivery of donor-funded projects.

The position serves as the organization's focal point for grants management and donor compliance, working closely with Programs, Finance, MEAL and Communications to ensure grant-funded projects are implemented in accordance with donor agreements, organizational policies, statutory requirements, and contractual obligations.

The role also strengthens organizational compliance systems by promoting sound grant management practices, monitoring institutional compliance requirements, coordinating audits and donor reviews, improving grants management processes, and building staff capacity on donor regulations and organizational policies.

Key Responsibilities

Grants Management and Compliance

• Coordinate the administration of assigned grants throughout the grant lifecycle, from award to close-out.
• Maintain grants management systems, including grant agreements, implementation plans, reporting calendars, compliance trackers, and grant documentation.
• Coordinate grant amendments, budget revisions, no-cost extensions, and grant close-out activities.
• Review grant agreements and donor requirements and support program teams in understanding contractual obligations and compliance requirements.
• Monitor compliance with donor regulations, organizational policies, safeguarding standards, and applicable statutory requirements.
• Support donor monitoring visits, compliance reviews, audits, and implementation of corrective actions.
• Coordinate cross-functional collaboration among Program, Finance, MEAL, and Communications teams to support effective grant implementation by organizing grant review meetings, tracking implementation milestones, deliverables, and key action points, and facilitating timely resolution of implementation issues.

Donor Reporting and Documentation

• Coordinate the preparation and timely submission of high-quality donor narrative and financial reports.
• Compile, review, and consolidate inputs from Program, Finance, and MEAL teams to produce accurate, complete, and donor-compliant narrative and financial reports, ensuring adherence to donor requirements and submission timelines.
• Track donor reporting schedules and follow up with relevant teams to ensure timely submission.
• Coordinate donor information requests and routine grant-related communications.
• Maintain a centralized repository of grant reports, amendments, approvals, correspondence, and supporting documentation.

Budget Monitoring and Financial Oversight

• Work closely with the Finance Department to monitor grant expenditure, budget utilization, and financial performance.
• Monitor expenditure against approved budgets and identify actual or projected budget variances.
• Support budget revisions, reallocations, and donor approval processes in collaboration with Finance and Program teams.
• Maintain grant financial records and supporting documentation for audits and donor reviews.
• Support program teams in understanding approved grant budgets and donor financial requirements.

Proposal Development and Resource Mobilization Support

• Coordinate proposal development processes and submission timelines.
• Compile technical, financial, and operational inputs from Program, Finance, MEAL, Procurement, and other departments.
• Review proposals to ensure compliance with donor requirements prior to submission.
• Maintain proposal templates, institutional information, donor requirements, and funding opportunity databases.
• Support proposal submissions through donor portals and other funding platforms.

Knowledge Management and Continuous Improvement

• Document lessons learned, best practices, and implementation challenges from grant-funded projects.
• Support staff orientation and capacity building on grants management, donor compliance, proposal development, and donor reporting requirements.
• Contribute to the development and periodic review of grants management tools, templates, and standard operating procedures.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Project Management, Business Administration, Finance, Development Studies, International Relations, Public Administration, or a related field.
• Professional certification in Grants Management, Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation, or a related field is an added advantage.

Experience

• 3–4 years of relevant experience in grants management, donor compliance, proposal development, project administration, or program support within the NGO or development sector.
• Experience coordinating donor-funded projects and managing institutional donor grants.
• Experience preparing donor reports and supporting proposal development.
• Experience working collaboratively with Program, Finance, MEAL, Procurement, and Operations teams.

Knowledge, Skills and Competencies

• Sound knowledge of grants management principles and donor compliance requirements.
• Understanding of donor budgeting, financial monitoring, and reporting processes.
• Strong proposal development and donor reporting skills.
• Excellent planning, coordination, and organizational skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities with attention to detail.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and consistently meet deadlines.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship management skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel, Word, and PowerPoint; experience with grants management systems is an added advantage.

• Coordinate the administration of assigned grants throughout the grant lifecycle, from award to close-out.
• Maintain grants management systems, including grant agreements, implementation plans, reporting calendars, compliance trackers, and grant documentation.
• Coordinate grant amendments, budget revisions, no-cost extensions, and grant close-out activities.
• Review grant agreements and donor requirements and support program teams in understanding contractual obligations and compliance requirements.
• Monitor compliance with donor regulations, organizational policies, safeguarding standards, and applicable statutory requirements.
• Support donor monitoring visits, compliance reviews, audits, and implementation of corrective actions.
• Coordinate cross-functional collaboration among Program, Finance, MEAL, and Communications teams to support effective grant implementation by organizing grant review meetings, tracking implementation milestones, deliverables, and key action points, and facilitating timely resolution of implementation issues.
• Coordinate the preparation and timely submission of high-quality donor narrative and financial reports.
• Compile, review, and consolidate inputs from Program, Finance, and MEAL teams to produce accurate, complete, and donor-compliant narrative and financial reports, ensuring adherence to donor requirements and submission timelines.
• Track donor reporting schedules and follow up with relevant teams to ensure timely submission.
• Coordinate donor information requests and routine grant-related communications.
• Maintain a centralized repository of grant reports, amendments, approvals, correspondence, and supporting documentation.
• Work closely with the Finance Department to monitor grant expenditure, budget utilization, and financial performance.
• Monitor expenditure against approved budgets and identify actual or projected budget variances.
• Support budget revisions, reallocations, and donor approval processes in collaboration with Finance and Program teams.
• Maintain grant financial records and supporting documentation for audits and donor reviews.
• Support program teams in understanding approved grant budgets and donor financial requirements.
• Coordinate proposal development processes and submission timelines.
• Compile technical, financial, and operational inputs from Program, Finance, MEAL, Procurement, and other departments.
• Review proposals to ensure compliance with donor requirements prior to submission.
• Maintain proposal templates, institutional information, donor requirements, and funding opportunity databases.
• Support proposal submissions through donor portals and other funding platforms.
• Document lessons learned, best practices, and implementation challenges from grant-funded projects.
• Support staff orientation and capacity building on grants management, donor compliance, proposal development, and donor reporting requirements.
• Contribute to the development and periodic review of grants management tools, templates, and standard operating procedures.

• Sound knowledge of grants management principles and donor compliance requirements.
• Understanding of donor budgeting, financial monitoring, and reporting processes.
• Strong proposal development and donor reporting skills.
• Excellent planning, coordination, and organizational skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities with attention to detail.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and consistently meet deadlines.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship management skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel, Word, and PowerPoint; experience with grants management systems is an added advantage.

• Bachelor's degree in Project Management, Business Administration, Finance, Development Studies, International Relations, Public Administration, or a related field.
• Professional certification in Grants Management, Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation, or a related field is an added advantage.